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-   -   Arc de Triomphe Elevator (https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/arc-de-triomphe-elevator-1043652/)

Ronda Apr 24th, 2015 02:16 PM

Arc de Triomphe Elevator
 
We will be traveling to Paris with a friend who has a hip replacement and cannot do the stairs. I know there is an elevator. Will he be able to use it or should he bring something that says he has a hip replacement? I also read on tripadvisor that you can ride up but have to walk down which doesn't make very much sense to me. Also, do you think they will allow his wife with knee problems to accompany him in elevator? Thnx

Blueeyedcod Apr 24th, 2015 02:27 PM

Anyone can use the elevator but yes, you do have to walk down - I guess it's about traffic control in the small area where the elevator lands you. There are also more stairs to negotiate to the outdoor viewing platform.

Ronda Apr 24th, 2015 03:14 PM

Well, what do people in wheelchairs and with strollers do? Seems very very odd. If the elevator goes up full, why should it go down empty?

nukesafe Apr 24th, 2015 03:22 PM

I wondered about that, too. A few years ago we rode the elevator up. It lets you off in as sort of gift shop area short of the top of the Arc. You still have some 20 stairs to climb (don't remember exactly). After your time at the top you must walk down those stairs to the gift shop. We thought we could push the button on the elevator to get it to come for us, but there is no button! We waited around for awhile, hoping someone would come up the elevator and get off, so we could jump on when the door was open. No luck, so we walked down approximately a zillion helical stairs to the bottom.

Blueeyedcod Apr 24th, 2015 04:16 PM

<<-Physical disability: for visitors in a wheelchair, access to the Arc de Triomphe is only possible through a 'short-stop parking' on the roundabout. Please let us know in advance on +33 (0)1 55 37 73 78. There is a lift for visitors with reduced mobility up to the first floor (museum collection). Please be aware that the lift is preceded by 3 steps that require assistance. The terrace (40 steps to climb with two sharp turns) and the mezzanine are not accessible. Toilets are not adapted for those in a wheelchair.
-Audio impairment: guided tours in French Sign Language for groups. Reservation required by fax on +33 (0)1 44 61 21 41.

Find out all you need to know about accessibility in France's National Monuments www.handicap.monuments-nationaux.fr
You can download the brochure presenting the various tours on offer for disabled people in the 12 national monuments in Paris and the Paris region by visiting the 'Contacts par Région' tab.

Contact : [email protected]
Centre des Monuments Nationaux Pôle Île-de-France
22, avenue Victoria - 75001 Paris>>


The above is a cut and past from the official website

http://en.parisinfo.com/paris-museum...nts-Nationaux#

john183 Apr 25th, 2015 07:25 AM

2 weeks ago we rode the elevator up and down. I asked the person sitting in the little office across from the elevator if it was working. She said yes so I asked if we could take it up. She said yes and took us up. As described above it lets you out at a gift shop and there are some stairs to get to the terrace.

When we were ready to go down there was no one to ask to take us down in the elevator so we decided to walk. My group headed toward the stairs when all of a sudden the elevator door open and people got off. The elevator operator was the same person that brought us up and when I asked if she could take us down, she said yes so I quickly gathered up my group and we rode it down.

Everyone in my group is physically able to do the stairs so I did not try to find anyone to ask about taking us down. It was just pure luck the door opened when it did. There must be a way to find someone to take you down. Maybe work it out with the person who takes you up and agree on a time to come down or they can tell you who to ask at the top when you are ready to go down. At any rate, we rode it up and down and were very happy to save our legs for other Parisian walking and climbing.

Ronda Apr 25th, 2015 01:08 PM

Oh thank you John! Great idea! I was even thinking my husband and I could walk down, ask the operator to go up and pick up our friends.

Surfergirl Apr 25th, 2015 01:29 PM

I had the same experience as John. In 2012 I had sprained my ankle right before our trip. I used the elevator going up and down. Since it was summer, the elevator was getting a lot of traffic, so I didn't have to wait long at all for the elevator to arrive.

The hardest part, I guess, is remembering where it is!

Belinda Apr 25th, 2015 05:44 PM

I was there last week. Took the elevator uo to the gift shop, museum level, then 56 more steps to the top. We took the elevator back down as well. There are also stairs to go through the underground passage to the Arch. There's no other way to get there. But there are hand rails on all the staircases and you can take it slow if you need to.


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